White House Press Secretary Faces Probe Over Legal Credentials
Katie Zacharia faces a California State Bar complaint following reports that she is not a licensed attorney despite claims to the contrary.
White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia is under scrutiny following reports that she lacks a license to practice law in the United States. While Zacharia earned a law degree from Pepperdine University in 2011, investigations by The New York Times and Popular Information found no record of her passing a bar exam in any U.S. state or Washington, D.C.
The controversy intensified after Zacharia told a reporter she passed the bar when she moved to China. She later claimed she misunderstood the question due to the noise of Marine One. Further discrepancies emerged regarding her professional history; Zacharia listed herself as general counsel for Fix California and a former associate at Zhong Lun Law Firm in China, though legal experts noted that foreign nationals cannot be licensed lawyers in China.
In response, the watchdog group Campaign for Accountability filed a complaint with the State Bar of California on Wednesday. The group alleges that Zacharia may have committed a crime by misrepresenting her professional credentials. White House Communications Director Steven Cheung defended Zacharia, stating she is uniquely qualified to serve as press secretary.
